How Conversational AI is Transforming Contact Centers into Growth Engines

From Cost Center to Growth Center: The Big Shift 

For decades, contact centers were viewed as cost centers; necessary but expensive functions that organizations tolerated rather than celebrated. That perception is now changing rapidly. In an era where customer expectations are evolving faster than ever, contact centers are transforming into strategic hubs that drive growth, build loyalty, and create meaningful competitive differentiation.  

Today's customers demand instant, seamless, and personalized interactions across every channel, whether voice, chat, email, or social media. Meeting these expectations requires more than human effort alone; it calls for intelligent systems that can operate at scale without compromising quality or security.  

At the heart of this transformation is conversational artificial intelligence (AI). By leveraging natural language processing, sentiment analysis, and machine learning, conversational AI enables contact centers to anticipate customer needs, deliver consistent experiences, and resolve issues more efficiently. It not only reduces wait times and improves first-contact resolution but also frees human agents to focus on complex, high-value interactions.  

As a result, AI-powered contact centers are no longer simply reactive support functions. They have become proactive engines of customer engagement, capable of turning everyday interactions into opportunities for retention, upselling, and brand advocacy.  

Ash Burton, Head of Product at Eckoh, has witnessed this evolution firsthand. With more than 20 years of experience driving innovation across industries, from speech recognition and chatbots to modern web apps and Generative AI, he sees the shift as both overdue and inevitable. Ash explains, "The contact center has historically been seen as a place to manage costs. But with the advent of AI, it is becoming clear that this is where organizations can create value. It is not just about problem resolution; it is about relationship building, loyalty, and even revenue generation."   

Customers Don’t Think in Channels: Designing for Seamless Experience 

Customers no longer perceive chat, email, and phone calls as separate “channels.” Instead, they experience a continuous relationship with a brand, expecting each interaction to flow naturally from the last. As Ash explains, “Customers don’t think in terms of channels. They think in terms of experience. If a customer starts on chat and moves to a phone call, they expect the conversation to continue without friction. That’s where businesses win loyalty.” 

The stakes for getting this right are high. Research shows that 43% of consumers would abandon a brand after just one poor customer service experience, highlighting how quickly trust can erode. Conversely, 94% of customers who enjoy low-effort experiences are likely to repurchase, compared with only 4% of those facing high-effort interactions. Every time a customer must repeat themselves, re-explain an issue, or restart a transaction on a new channel, loyalty diminishes, and the risk of churn grows. 

This is where conversational AI becomes a critical enabler. AI-powered agents act as connective tissue across touchpoints, maintaining context, recalling customer history in real time, and dynamically adapting responses based on intent and sentiment. Rather than merely automating tasks, AI can provide human-like, empathetic interactions that respect a customer’s time and anticipate their needs. 

For example, a customer who begins a query via web chat can continue the conversation seamlessly over a phone call, with the AI recalling the initial context, verifying prior actions, and even offering relevant next steps. This omnichannel continuity reduces frustration, accelerates issue resolution, and builds trust. In a marketplace where customers can switch providers with a single click, brands that deliver frictionless, personalized, and consistent experiences gain a decisive competitive edge. 

Redefining Success: New Metrics for a New Era 

If the role of the contact center has changed, so must the metrics used to evaluate it. Traditional KPIs like average handle time (AHT) or call abandonment rates still matter, but they only tell part of the story, because they measure cost, not value. As Ash puts it, "Traditionally, contact centers have focused on reducing AHT, equating shorter interactions with success. However, faster service doesn’t always translate into stronger customer loyalty." 

Forward-looking organizations now focus on outcomes that drive long-term loyalty and business growth, rather than simply optimizing for efficiency. Metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS) are invaluable because they measure not just satisfaction, but customer advocacy, such as how likely customers are to recommend a brand to others. High NPS scores often correlate with repeat purchases, higher lifetime value, and positive word-of-mouth, all of which directly support revenue growth 

In parallel, Customer Effort Score (CES) has become a critical metric in understanding loyalty. CES measures how easy or difficult it is for customers to accomplish their goals when interacting with a brand. Research consistently shows that customers who experience low effort are far more likely to return, spend more, and recommend the brand, while high-effort interactions drive churn, frustration, and negative reviews. By monitoring CES alongside NPS, organizations can identify friction points in the customer journey and implement solutions, such as conversational AI. 

Perhaps most importantly, many leaders are beginning to evaluate contact center performance through the lens of Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). By looking at how positive interactions extend the duration and profitability of customer relationships, the contact center becomes a measurable driver of revenue rather than a cost to minimize. As Ash puts it simply, “If you still measure your contact center purely on cost, you’re missing the bigger opportunity. The real question becomes: how are you increasing customer lifetime value? How are you improving loyalty and retention?” 

The Road Ahead: AI and Humans Working Together 

While conversational AI delivers substantial improvements in efficiency and experience, many people fear it will take over jobs. Contrary to those fears, AI’s true value in the contact center lies in freeing agents from repetitive, low-value tasks. Ash explains, “AI can handle the routine questions that every agent receives multiple times a day, which don’t add meaningful value to the customer or the agent.” 

By automating these common inquiries, AI reduces the toil on agents and makes them available for higher-value interactions. This means agents can spend more time on complex, sensitive, or nuanced conversations, whether helping vulnerable customer navigate an insurance claim or guiding someone through a subscription service. 

In practice, AI helps agents deliver better service and more thoughtful support. They’re being empowered to focus on interactions that matter, improving both customer satisfaction and the quality of the agent experience. Over time, this also creates opportunities for agents to assist customers along buying journeys, provide guidance, and strengthen loyalty without the distractions of repetitive tasks. 

The future is not about humans versus AI, but humans and AI working together. AI provides scale, speed, and predictive insight. Humans bring creativity, empathy, and judgment. Together, they deliver experiences that strengthen loyalty and unlock measurable business value. 

Why This Matters Now

This is not a theoretical future. It is happening today. Customers already expect seamless omnichannel continuity, instant support, and personalized engagement. Companies that deliver it will build loyalty, advocacy, and growth. Those that do not risk being left behind. As Ash notes: “You can have the most advanced AI and analytics in the world, but if leaders still view the contact center as a cost center, you’ll never unlock its potential.” True transformation requires a mindset shift. Leaders must recognize the contact center as a strategic growth hub, align investments with business outcomes, and empower agents to focus on empathy and relationship-building while AI handles scale and routine. 

The modern contact center is no longer a back-office function. It is a frontline stage for customer engagement, a place where every conversation can reinforce trust, deepen relationships, and generate value. Organizations that seize this moment will define the future of customer experience and secure lasting competitive advantage. As Ash concludes, “Companies that embrace this evolution will stand out in competitive markets. They’ll deliver experiences that customers remember, recommend, and come back to again and again. That is the true power of the modern contact center.”

See how secure, AI-powered interactions can drive loyalty and revenue. Let’s start the conversation.